Losing a Loved One
by The Child of Time
Summary: Post Pain in the Heart: Sweets makes Brennan go back into therapy to deal with her emotions involving what happened in PitH. Fluffy, but does deal with emotions. Lots of B/B bickering and flirting and Sweets wonderful questions and evaluations. COMPLETE
1. Five Years Old

**A/N: This is my first Bones fic so have mercy! I guess I should mention the fact that I do not own Bones or anything related to it- if I did, why would I be writing my ideas out and posting them on this site? Anyway, this contains spoilers for Pain in the Heart and takes place post the season 3 finale. I chose to ignore the Zack issue. Not because I disagree with it per se (I did mourn becuase I do love Zack) but just because I was not sure of how to incorporate it into this fic. So, if it seems like Brennan is not sad enough with the Zack thing, just remember that in this universe, it did not happen. Please remember to review. Reviews are the rays of sunshine that brighten up my cloudy life!**

"I still don't understand why we are here" Brennan said in frustration. She and Booth were sitting in Dr. Sweets' office, waiting for him to arrive.

Booth rolled his eyes, "Because, Silly, he called and asked us to come. So we came."

"We are no longer his patients. We are no longer obligated to see him. We do not need to be here,"

"Somebody's cranky" Booth said in a sing song voice

"I am not cranky" Brennan huffed, "I just think that this is a waste of time. I could be getting work done right now. Instead, I am stuck in here waiting for Dr. Sweets"

"You are a workaholic" Booth stated as he pointed a finger at her

"I am not"

"Am too" Booth said in a taunting tone

Brennan rolled her eyes, "Are to, Booth, not…. whatever you said."

"Say it any way you want to, Bones, but it doesn't change the facts. You are a workaholic." Booth said

"Am not" Brennan argued

"Are too" Booth said, using proper grammar this time.

"Am not" Brennan repeated

"Are too"

"Now, you are acting like you're five years old" Brennan scolded

"Excuse me? You were arguing right back. I just—" Booth was interrupted as Sweets entered the room.

"This is not over" Booth mumbled at Brennan. She gave him an evil smirk.

Dr. Sweets sat down at his desk without saying a word. The room was silent for a few moments.

"What are we doing here?" Brennan finally blurted

"No need to be rude, Bones" Booth laughed

"Actually, Agent Booth may leave if he would like too" Sweets said

"Bye, Bones" Booth stood up to walk away, but Brennan grabbed his arm and yanked him back down. Booth fell back down to the couch and looked curiously at Brennan's hand, which was still holding on to his arm. Noticing this fact as well, Brennan quickly released her partner's arm and proceeded to cross her arms in front of her chest in a defensive manner, her eyes glued to the ground. Sweets looked at the pair in amusement, making millions of mental notes at their behavior. Booth cleared his throat uncomfortably and looked up at Sweets.

"So….um….mind telling me why we are here?" Booth asked awkwardly

"You, Agent Booth, are not required to be here" Sweets repeated, "Dr. Brennan is here so that I can inform her that she is now back in therapy."

Brennan looked angry, "What?! I thought you were 'releasing us back into our environment'!"

Booth grinned at his partner's use of air quotes."Yes, Sweets, you did say that" he agreed

Sweets nodded, "I did say that and I did not have any intentions to change that fact, but circumstances changed." He pointed at Brennan, "You lost a loved one, and--"

Brennan glared at him "Partner." she corrected, "I lost a partner"

"Right, well, it is standard FBI practice that when you lose a partner you go into therapy in order to deal with the grief and maybe gain some…I don't know….closure, perhaps" Sweets continued.

"I am not part of the FBI" Brennan snapped, "So I do not see what this has to do with me"

"And I'm not really dead" Booth added

Sweets sighed, "Agent Booth, you were dead to Dr. Brennan for two full weeks. That had a permanent effect on her life. Dr. Brennan, you are part of the FBI even if it is not official. You participate in FBI cases all of the time."

The two partners looked defeated, but not satisfied. Brennan looked grudgingly at Sweets, "What happens if I refuse to attend these therapy sessions?" she asked

Sweets frowned, "I will have to tell the FBI that I think this partnership needs to be re-evaluated. There are obviously some emotional problems. Dr. Brennan feels angry at not being told of Agent Booth's false death. I feel that they should no longer work together professionally."

Booth gave Sweets a death stare, "You wouldn't" he said through clenched teeth.

Sweets looked satisfied with himself, "Yes, I would"

"That would be incredibly unprofessional behavior, Dr. Sweets, however, I will consent to therapy if it means that you leave our partnership alone." Brennan said coldly

"Thank you, Dr. Brennan" Sweets said with a grin, "That was a wise choice. Goodbye, Agent Booth"

"Wait a minute. Why do I have to leave?" Booth asked suspiciously

"Doctor-patient confidentiality" Sweets replied

"I have nothing to say that I could not say in front of Booth" Brennan said

"Thank you, Bones" Booth smiled

"I must still ask you to leave" Sweets said

"Fine" Booth huffed as he stood to leave.

Once he was gone, Sweets spoke again, "So, we are going to start with your secret love for Agent Booth"

**Up Next: Sweets insists that Brennan admits her feelings for Booth. She insists that there _are _no feelings. Which stubborn character will win?**


	2. The Evidence in the Actions

**A/N: Ok, so here's the next chapter. I changed my mind as to what's in it, because I figured that Sweets wouldn't jump right in to emotions- he'd start out with facts because he knows Brennan very well. The last chapter was basically to set up the story line. This chapter is basically to tell the readers my version of what Brennan did the two weeks that she thought Booth was dead. I love all of the reviews! Keep it up my lovely readers!**

"Excuse me?!" Brennan said. She was really angry.

"Sorry" Sweets said, "But Angela said she would give me twenty dollars if I said that"

"That was incredibly immature of her" Brennan noted.

"The real first thing I want to discuss is what you did directly after you found out about Agent Booth's death" Sweets said in a more serious tone. He wanted to ask about how she felt, but he knew that he should start with the facts, get her to warm up to him.

"I went home and took a shower" she replied with no emotion

"Alright, and after you showered, what did you do then?"

"Well, I changed into pajamas and went to bed."

Sweets fought off the question at the tip of his tongue: Did you actually sleep? Instead, he asked, "The next morning you went to work as usual, correct?" He knew that he was correct. That was when Dr. Brennan's coworkers had called him in concern.

"Yes. I did not see any purpose in staying home. There was nothing I could do to change the fact that he was dead. I figured that I might as well do something productive" This time, Sweets heard the bitterness in her voice. Now, he was getting somewhere.

"I see. You also worked extra hours on limbo cases everyday for the next two weeks, right?"

Brennan looked irritated, "If you already know all of this, I don't see why you need to ask me."

"Just to confirm my facts" Sweets answered, "If you want me to just assume that they are all correct, I can. Most of them came from Angela, however, so they also include the fact that you are in denial and you are in love with Agent Booth."

"No! Never mind, I'll answer your stupid questions" Brennan said, afraid of what Angela had told Sweets.

"OK, then. It also says here that you did not leave the lab at all over the time that you thought Booth was dead."

Brennan shook her head, "That's not true. I went home every morning to shower and change."

"But you did not actually sleep at your own apartment. You slept in the lab" Sweets pressed.

Brennan shrugged, "I just fell asleep while working. The cases were difficult, and I ended up staying at work until late at night."

Sweets nodded gravely, "You did not visit Wung Foo's or the Royal Diner during those two weeks"

"I didn't have time. As I mentioned before, the cases were difficult and demanded my attention" Her answer sounded lame, even to her. Of course she couldn't go to either of those places: they reminded her of Booth. And that was too painful.

"I'm not trying to frustrate you; I just want to confirm everything." Sweets reminded her

"I know. Carry on" she said reluctantly

"You also said that you no longer wanted to do any field work. Even though the FBI sent a replacement for Agent Booth and the replacement wanted your help."

"I needed to finish up the cases in the lab" Brennan said for the umpteenth time, "Besides, Zack wanted to go out and do some field work" she added.

That was a lie, but a comical lie at that thought Sweets. "Now, I'm going to move on to what happened after you discovered that Agent Booth was alive." he said to Brennan.

Dr. Temperance Brennan could do nothing but nod submissively.

"When you saw Agent Booth, you punched him in the face."

"Yes, I did." She grinned at the memory. He never saw that one coming.

"You were then angry at him from hiding the fact that he was alive."

"I was. I have since forgiven him, seeing as it was not his fault that I was not notified" she said. At the last part, she gave Sweets a look.

Sweets felt slightly guilty for that, but he still felt that it was necessary. He decided to not argue with her. Instead, he asked another question, "Didn't you enter Agent Booth's bathroom to demand an answer?"

"Yes, I did. I was…um…really mad. I wasn't thinking straight" A slight blush started to form, but it was barely visible.

Sweets noticed that she felt uncomfortable when discussing the situation. That was good. He couldn't help himself, "Agent Booth was currently in the bathtub, correct?"

Brennan nodded, her cheeks now slightly pink.

"Without any clothing" Sweets felt the need to add.

"Uh, he had a beer dispensing hat" Brennan said, trying to change the topic. Her face now matched her red shirt.

"Right" Sweets said with a grin

"Any more questions?" Brennan asked as she stared at her lap

"Oh, yes" Sweets answered, "So, let's review what we have so far. Other than working more and not going to the diner as frequently, you would say that your life did not change after Agent Booth's death." Of course, Sweets himself did not believe any of that.

Brennan nodded, "See, you have nothing to worry about. Booth's death did not affect my work in a negative way or, come to think of it, my life. All of my actions prove that."

"Dr. Brennan, it is not your actions that have me worried. It's the deeper meaning behind them"

**Up Next: Sweets forces Brennan to face the emotions she felt when her partner "died". He also presses the fact that he believes Brennan is in love with Booth.**

**In the very near future: Sweets wants to talk to Booth**

**In the somewhat near future: More B/B bickering and flirting. Becuase I enjoy writing it :) **


	3. Unwelcome Truths

**A/N: I'm sorry it took so long to update. I have no excuse other than that I had major writer's block. Thank you to everyone who has supported this story by reviewing, favoriting, and adding this story to your alert list. I hope that you enjoy this next chapter, and I appreciate your patience. It starts right after the last chapter, so you might want to read the last few lines of that one first, if you haven't read it in a while.**

"There is no deeper meaning behind my actions" Brennan argued.

"Yes, Dr. Brennan, there is" Sweets said with certainty.

"I hate psychology, and this is why." Brennan muttered.

"You hate psychology because it forces you to admit unwelcome truths?" Sweets asked.

"I don't have any 'unwelcome truths' to admit to." Brennan countered.

"Oh, I could name a few..." Sweets said under his breath.

"What did you say?" Brennan asked, she was pretty sure that he had muttered something sarcastic.

"Nothing...Do you want to continue? So that you can get out of here faster?" Sweets asked.

"Yes, please. I'd like to get back to my work." Brennan answered coolly.

"OK, now why did you head home and shower right away?"

"It wasn't _right away_." Brennan said in frustration, "I waited until I was sure he made it to the hospital before I left."

"You had no interest in how we was doing?" Sweets asked in disbelief, "You seemed pretty concerned when you were begging him to hold on."

"I stayed with him until the paramedics arrived, I rode in the ambulance with him, and then when we got to the hospital, I figured he would be fine so I went home. And I don't see why you need to ask about this, because you were there." Brennan explained

"Why didn't you want to stay and wait for him to wake up?" Sweets asked

"I knew the doctors would be busy working on him and I wouldn't have gotten to see him anyways." Brennan answered in a mater-of-fact tone.

"Why did you need to shower?" It was a stupid question. He knew it. She knew it. But, all Sweets wanted to do was work up to the real question, so he needed her to answer.

"Because I had his blood all over me!" Brennan shouted at him.

Sweets took a deep breath in before asking his next question: "And how did that make you feel?"

That was it, Brennan's brick wall and just crumbled down. If he wanted to talk about this so badly, she would give him his stupid answers. Anything to end this session as soon as possible. "Afraid, angry, upset, disgusted." Brennan said softly, "It was a constant reminder that my partner had been shot, and it was my fault."

Sweets saw how upset she was and tried to comfort her, "Dr. Brennan, it was not your fault." he said in a soothing voice.

Brennan bit her bottom lip so hard that she thought it might bleed, "Yes, it was. That bullet was meant for me. It's my fault."

"You couldn't control the situation. You cannot be at fault for something you had no control over." Sweets said logically.

Brennan looked down, "He shouldn't have jumped in front like that. My life isn't worth as much as his." she said so quietly that Sweets almost missed it.

"Why do you feel that way?" Sweets asked. He had never seen Brennan so emotional before.

"Because, no one would really miss me." She began to explain, "People would miss him. He's a better person."

"That's not true." Sweets truly felt sorry for her at that moment, this was obviously still a painful topic, no matter what she tried to convince everyone else.

"Yes, it is." Brennan said as a single tear ran down her cheek.

"People would miss you too." Sweets argued, "Angela, your brother, your father, Zack, Hodgins,..._Booth_."

"Why'd you say his name like that?" Brennan asked skeptically.

"Like what?" Sweets asked innocently

"Like there was a difference between him and the other people on your list." Brennan answered.

"Well...I think he would miss you in a different way..." Sweets began hesitantly.

"That makes sense. Everyone grieves differently." Brennan said.

_Yes, some people work more and pretend that they don't care, _Sweets thought sarcastically. "That's not what I meant, though. I didn't mean how he handled the grief would be different."

"What did you mean?" Brennan asked, starting to get frustrated again.

"Look, the man took a bullet for you." Sweets insisted, "He would rather die than see you hurt. Doesn't that tell you something?"

"Yes," Brennan answered without emotion, "It tells me that he is a good friend with Alpha-male tendencies and FBI training."

Sweets rubbed his forehead with his hand, "She was right." he said, "I didn't think it was possible, but she was right."

Brennan looked at him like he was insane, "Who was right?" she asked.

"Angela." Sweets explained, "She tried to warn me. I told her that it was impossible that two people could be so incredibly blind. But, I should have known not to put anything past Dr. Temperance Brennan."

"What is that supposed to mean?!" Brennan asked angrily.

Sweets looked her straight in the eyes. The subtle suggestions were getting him nowhere. It was time for some hard truth. "Agent Booth is clearly in love with you."

Brennan laughed. It was an odd sound, not to mention an odd response what Sweets had just said. "He is not." she stated.

Sweets chose to ignore her, "And I believe that it's equally clear that you are in love with him too."

"No, I'm not." She responded quickly.

"If you had the choice, would you take the bullet so that Booth wouldn't have to?" Sweets asked.

"Of course." Brennan answered, "It was meant for me in the first place."

"Both of you would give your lives for the other. That is very significant." Sweets observed.

"No, it's not. We are partners and friends and that is all. I would take a bullet for Angela too. That doesn't mean that I'm in love with her." Brennan argued.

Sweets sighed, "When you thought Booth was dead, you blocked out the world again. You buried yourself in work so that you wouldn't have to deal with your emotions. Booth took the time to tear down the walls that you had built around yourself. You built the walls for your protection. You put the walls there so that no one could get too close. Because whenever someone got too close, they left you. And then Booth came along. And he slowly tore down the walls and proved to you that you could let him in. When you thought that he had died- that he had left you, you immediately began to build the walls again."

"You don't know what you're talking about." Brennan said through gritted teeth. Without another word, she stood up and left.

**A/N: It was a little short, but I promise the next one will be longer and will be up soon. Please review. I love reviews! They are my favoritest gift in the world! :) **


	4. Can I Drive?

**A/N: First of all- a big thanks to all of my readers and reviewers! Every review means so much to me! A special thanks to **Ash2112**- Your review inspired this chapter! And the next one! This chapter is mostly B/B fluff, but the next one will have a little more angst.**

Dr. Temperance Brennan left the room angrily. She was making a mind letter...wait was that it? She couldn't remember the right terminology, but it had to do with your brain and writing...She would ask Booth about that later. Right now, she was focusing on adding names to the list of people that she wanted to kill. So far, that included Sweets and Angela. Sweets was annoying. He pretended like he knew everything about her. _He does not know everything about me! _she thought with determination. And then there was Angela. How could Angela tell Sweets things like that?! What else had she told him?! In fact, Brennan was so deep in thought, that she failed to notice the man who was standing right in front of her. That is, until she walked into him.

Brennan had been walking so quickly in her anger, that when she bumped into him, her sudden stop had enough force to knock him down. And, failing at her attempt to keep her balance, she too fell to the ground too. Landing right on top of him. Realizing what was going on, she jumped back up into a standing position and offered her hand, which he ignored as he too stood.

"What the...?" Booth mumbled in confusion.

"Uh...sorry" Brennan responded awkwardly, "I...wait a minute! What are you still doing here?"

Booth chuckled, "I drove you here, remember?"

"Oh, right, I forgot."

"What did Sweets do? Brainwash you? Do funny mental experiments?" Booth joked.

"Let's just go." Brennan said quickly as she turned to leave the building.

"Wait, Bones, what's wrong?" Booth asked as he grabbed her arm to stop her from leaving.

"Nothing!" she snapped, "I don't want to talk about it!"

Booth was concerned now, "What did he say to you?"

Brennan bit her lip, "He...uh...just wanted to talk about your fake death."

"Talking about life without me made you this upset?" Booth questioned with a grin.

Brennan rolled her eyes, "I believe that would qualify as hunting for a compliment."

Booth sighed, "Fishing, Bones. _Fishing_ for a compliment."

"Oh..well...same thing." She responded as she turned to leave again.

Booth followed her and smiled. "You _missed_ me! You really _missed_ me! You were so _lonely_, because you _missed_ me!" he sang in tune with the chant from Miss Congeniality, not that Bones would recognize it.

Brennan stopped and turned to face him. She tried hard not to laugh as she playfully punched his shoulder, "Don't flatter yourself."

"I can't believe it!" Booth said, the grin still on his face.

Brennan couldn't help but smile, too. "What?" she asked.

"You said that phrase correctly!" Booth said feigning shock, "Who are you and what did you to to Dr. Temperance Brennan?" he asked as he reached for his FBI badge.

"Honestly, I think that Parker has more maturity than you!" Brennan huffed as they reached the car.

Booth stopped and placed a hand on his heart, "That hurt, Bones." he said dramatically, "That really hurt my feelings."

"Emotions are simply mental states that fluctuate with your environment and experiences; they cannot be damaged." Brennan said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Booth began to pout, "You should kiss my boo-boo, Bones!" he said like a five year old.

"Booth," Brennan said in mock exasperation, "You are a grown man! You should consider acting like one."

"I will grow up as soon as you make me feel better." Booth continued, he knew that however frustrated Brennan pretended to be, this was actually cheering her up.

"Fine" she said. She kissed her hand and then gently placed it near his heart. She looked up and locked eyes with Booth. They held each other's gazes for a long time, before Brennan looked down. She removed her hand and took a few steps back. "I'm driving" she insisted.

"No, you are definitely not driving." Booth argued.

"OK, then. Give me a gun." she demanded

"Right, so that you can shoot me like last time." Booth said sarcastically.

"Shot any clowns recently?" Brennan smirked.

"You still don't get a gun." Booth said with determination.

"Then I can drive?"

"NO!" Booth roared, "What part of 'no' don't you understand?"

"I don't understand why I can't drive? I did fine in Los Angelas."

"You parked it funny" Booth said.

"At least I didn't get us blown up." Brennan argued.

"That was not my fault."

"It was too, I tried to tell you that--"

"OK, just shut up. Please!" Booth interrupted her.

Brennan waited a few seconds before asking, "So...can I drive?"

"No."

* * *

**Up Next: 1. An angry Brennan confronts Angela (thanks again, **Ash2112**!)**

**2. A concerned Booth confronts Sweets**

**ReviewsLove...Just remember that :)**

* * *


	5. Crossed Lines

**A/N: Sorry it took me so long to get this out! I had to update my other two stories also because they were feeling neglected. This chapter will be nice and long though, to make up for the wait. A special thanks to gilmorefanforever and K.Elisabeth for pointing out my mistakes. "Bear hat" has now been changed to "Beer hat" and the annoying author's note in the middle of the last chapter has been eliminated. I also want to give a special thanks to Ash, your comments and ideas are what keeps this story alive!**

Dr. Temperance Brennan was very good at compartmentalizing. She had pushed aside her anger towards Sweets and Angela, because she did not want Booth to become involved. But, as soon as Booth drove away after dropping her off at the Jeffersonian, her anger had returned full force. She walked quickly towards the platform, where Zack and Hodgins were working on something. The two squints looked up when they noticed their boss was glaring at them with icy eyes.

Zack looked questioningly into Brennan's eyes, "Do you need something, Dr. Brennan?"

She ignored him and turned to Hodgins, "Where is Angela?" she asked intensely.

"I'm not sure…" Hodgins answered timidly.

"I saw her doing something with the Angelator not too long ago." Zack added.

"Thank you, Zack" Brennan said as she turned and walked away.

Zack looked back at Hodgins, "That was…."

"Weird." Hodgins finished for him.

Zack nodded and swallowed, "Should we……?"

"Oh yeah!" Hodgins answered with a hint of a smile. The two friends slowly followed their boss, ready to spy on her and Angela.

* * *

Brennan found Angela in the hallway. She grabbed her friend's arm and began to pull on it.

"Where are we going?" Angela asked in confusion.

"My office." Brennan said through gritted teeth.

Angela silently followed and waited until they were in Brennan's office with the door closed before she spoke. "Is something wrong?" she asked in a concerned voice.

"Is something wrong?!" Brennan repeated angrily, "Yeah, something's wrong! Why would you tell him that?!"

"I'm going to need more details, Sweetie" Angela said calmly.

"You need more details? Well I can tell you somebody who doesn't need more details- Sweets! He doesn't need any details because you gave them all to him!" Brennan snapped.

Angela winced at the mention of Sweets' name. "I'm so sorry, Sweetie. I was just trying to help." she said sadly.

"How was any of that supposed to help?!" Brennan asked, her fury only increasing.

"I thought that maybe, if Sweets had the right information, that he could get through to you." Angela said as she looked down.

"There's a line there, Ange, and you crossed it!" Brennan screamed as she began pacing her office. Maybe that would help her calm down. Or at least she hoped it would.

"Isn't that what lines are for, Sweetie?" Angela asked with a smile.

Brennan stopped pacing and turned to face Angela, "The information you gave him? He used that to manipulate me into saying things. And then he twisted what I said to make it sound like Booth was in love with me." she said in a slightly lower voice.

Angela just looked at her for a moment, trying to decide what to say.

* * *

Zack and Hodgins stood near Brennan's office door. They didn't need to lean in or press their ears against the door to hear what was being said. Dr. Brennan was screaming loudly enough for the whole lab to hear. When they heard Brennan's last sentence, Hodgins mouthed, "Yikes".

Zack stepped back a little and turned towards Hodgins, "Is Agent Both really in love with Dr. Brennan?" he asked in a serious voice.

Hodgins rolled his eyes. "You know, for a genius, you are pretty stupid." he muttered.

"Does that mean that he is or he isn't?" Zack asked, now confused.

Hodgins glared at him for a while.

"Oh" Zack said quietly as they turned back to the door.

Both of them turned when they heard footsteps.

"Hello, Boys" Booth greeted as he reached for the door knob, "Spying on your boss again?"

"I wouldn't go in there if I were you." Zack said quickly.

Booth looked suspiciously at the other two men, "Why?"

"Dr. Brennan and Angela are having a very heated argument." Zack said in a matter-of-fact voice.

Booth raised his eyebrows, "About what?"

"Oh, Angela and Dr. Sweets think that--" Zack's last words were muffled as Hodgin's hand flew over and covered his mouth.

Hodgins glared at Zack before turning to speak to Booth, "Apparently Sweets said some things that made Dr. Brennan upset" he said simply.

Booth nodded and joined them to listen to the rest of the conversation.

* * *

"That's not true!" Brennan screamed at Angela.

Angela sighed as she sat down on the couch. "Then why are you so upset over this?" she asked in the same calm voice she had kept the entire argument.

"Because, I had to sit there and answer his stupid questions and it was like losing Booth all over again." Brennan said softly.

"I'm sorry" Angela said as she reached out to comfort her friend.

Brennan backed away, "He took advantage of me when I was the most vulnerable. He brought up a topic that he knew I was still emotional about and then he attacked me with all of these questions and lies about Booth and me." she said as she tried to hold back tears.

"Sweetie, I swear I was just trying to help." Angela repeated as she tried to hug Brennan.

Brennan backed away again. "You had _no_ right." she said angrily. She walked past Angela and towards the door. "You had _no_ right." she repeated in a whisper. Then she pulled open the door and walked out in a huff.

* * *

Booth hadn't been able to hear anything after Brennan yelled that something wasn't true. It was then that he realized that whatever Sweets had said had upset Brennan more than he had originally thought. He was just leaning in closer to try to hear better, when the door slammed open and Brennan walked out quickly. Booth had clumsily stumbled back when she opened the door, but he still noticed that Brennan's eyes were slightly red and he could have sworn he saw a tear. Something was definitely wrong. His Bones didn't cry very often. He ran after her.

"Bones! Hey, Bones!" he called, but she ignored him.

He finally caught up with her when she stopped at the platform and began examinating a skeleton.

He stopped and just watched her for a moment. She looked really mad. She snapped on her gloves and handled the bones roughly.

"You're gonna ruin your evidence if you keep that up." Booth teased as he flashed her his charm smile.

Brennan didn't look up from the bone she was looking at when she spoke to him. "Do we have a case, Booth?" she asked coldly.

"No," he answered slowly as he became more concerned, "I was just wondering if you wanted to--"

Brennan interrupted him, "I have work to do here" she said as she picked up a different bone and left the platform.

As Booth watched her leave, only one thought went through his head:_ I have got to find Sweets!_

* * *

**A/N: This ended up being longer than I expected, so Booth will talk to Sweets in the next chapter. I want to once again thank everyone who has supported this story by reading, reviewing, adding it to their alerts, and adding it to their favorites. People who review get special gold stars because I love reviews. Reviews are what keeps this story going!**

* * *


	6. Sweets!

**A/N: A big thanks to Sophie for helping me get "re-inspired" and "remember my plan."**

Brennan sighed as she sat down in front of her computer. She felt guilty about treating Booth that way. She knew that he hated it when she shut him out or became distant. He always wanted her to be open with him and show him how she was feeling. _That's part of friendship_ She heard Booth's voice say in her head. She ignored Booth's voice and turned on her computer. She quickly found the document she wanted and began typing. Kathy and Andy were going to have a fight. This was how she coped, taking out her frustration on fictional characters. _They're not fictional_, Booth's voice argued, _They're based on you and me, and you know it._

"Would you just shut up already?!" Brennan said out loud in frustration.

Unfortunately, Angela had chosen that moment to walk in to the office. "Sweetie," she said in a calm voice, "Nobody's talking."

Brennan shook her head as she saved her changes and turned away from the computer. As much as she wanted to be angry at Angela right now, she also needed her friend. She didn't say anything as she walked over to the couch and motioned for Angela to join her.

"I'm so sorry." Angela said, "I really didn't realize that Sweets was going to make you this upset."

Brennan sighed, "It just really…..hurt that you would tell him those things. You always want me to share things with you, but if you tell other people, then I don't know if I feel comfortable sharing things with you."

Angela looked like she was going to cry, "You're right, Bren. I should have never, ever, told him those things. And I can promise you that it will never happen again."

"Alright." Brennan said simply, "I forgive you."

"So we're friends again?" Angela asked with a hopeful smile.

"We never stopped being friends, Ange." Brennan said, "I was just a little upset with you."

"That's so good to hear!" Angela said as she enveloped Brennan in a tight hug.

"Ange!" Brennan squeaked, "Air! I need air!"

Angela laughed as she pulled away, "I'm sorry."

Brennan couldn't help but offer her own smile in return, "It's fine."

"So….." Angela began cautiously, "Now that we're friends again, can I ask you some questions?"

Brennan considered for a moment before saying, "That depends on the question."

Angela nodded, "Are you still mad at Sweets?"

"I am still very angry with Dr. Sweets." Brennan confirmed

"Was anything that he said true? Did just one thing that he said have a little bit of truth to it?" Angela asked.

"There was….something….he said something that was true. I won't admit it to anyone, but it was true."

"What did he say, Sweetie?" Angela asked with concern.

* * *

Booth gripped the steering wheel with a bit too much force as he pulled away from the Jeffersonian. He hated it when Bones would shut him out like that. It had taken him a long time to get her to finally open up to him and trust him. Today, she went back to square one. She hadn't even looked at him at all. Sweets had caused all of this. And Sweets would pay.

Booth didn't even bother knocking before he angrily burst through the door to Sweets' office. "Sweets!" he bellowed. He looked around the room and noticed that there were already two patients in the room. "Hello" he greeted them as he flashed a charm smile and pulled out his badge. "I'm with the FBI and I'm going to need to talk to Dr. Sweets alone. So if you could just...you know, skedaddle for a few minutes, it would be greatly appreciated."

The couple looked at each other nervously before jumping up and running from the room. Booth closed the door behind them and then turned to Sweets, who looked terrified. "Agent Booth?" he said in a slightly high pitched voice.

Booth just glared at him. If looks could kill, Sweets would be dead.

"Agent Booth?" Sweets repeated. "I cannot help you until you tell me what's wrong."

"What did you say to Bones?" Booth asked through gritted teeth.

"I can't share that information with you, Agent Booth." Sweets replied.

"You know what, Sweets?!" Booth was shouting again, "Whatever you said, made Bones really upset. And when Bones is upset, she shuts me out and becomes distant. And when she becomes distant it upsets _me_! So, whatever you said to Bones made me upset too. And I was just wondering: _Why_ am I upset?!"

"Was that a rhetorical question?" Sweets asked in honest confusion.

Booth looked like he was about to explode, "Just tell me whatever you told Bones!"

"I just tried to help her understand the emotions that she was trying to hide." Sweets answered, then winced when he saw Booth's face.

Booth was trying really hard to not completely lose it. "I will ask you one more time. What. Did. You. Say. To. Bones?"

"Why do you want to know?" Sweets asked in an even voice.

"Because! She is really upset! And I hate to see her upset because I-wait a minute! Why am I even telling you any of this?! You don't know anything! You're twelve!"

Sweets sighed, "I would really appreciate if you stop using my age against me." he said calmly.

"OK, you are _really_ making me mad now!" Booth said.

"Agent Booth, I have already told you that I cannot share the content of my session with Dr. Brennan with you." Sweets said in an attempt to remain brave.

Booth lost what little self-control he had left. Before he could actually think about what he was doing, he had grabbed Sweets by the collar and slammed him against the wall. "Tell. Me. Now."

"OK, OK!" Sweets squeaked in a panicked voice, "Just put me down! Please!"

* * *

**Up Next: Brennan tells Angela something that Sweets said that is true. What part of what Sweets said does she consider true?**

**Sweets said he'll tell Booth what he told Brennan. But will he tell the truth? And how will Booth react?**

* * *


	7. The Truth

**A/N: I really should be writing new chapters to my other stories, but you guys review more, so you get quicker updates! And, I'm enjoying this story more. This chapter is for Sophie- to magically heal you! Anyway, here is the next chapter, my lovely readers!**

* * *

"What did Sweets say to you, Sweetie?" Angela repeated.

"He...uh, he said a lot of things." Brennan stuttered.

Angela rolled her eyes, "I know, but what part was true?"

Brennan sighed, and Angela silently waited for the answer.

"He- he said that I am afraid to let people in, because every time I let someone in, they leave me..." Brennan stopped talking for a moment and bit her lip.

Angela nodded sympathetically, silently telling her friend to continue.

"He said that when I met Booth, that changed. That-that Booth tore down the walls..." Brennan trailed off again, and blinked rapidly. Why was she tearing up?

Angela gently put her hand on her friend's arm. "Sweetie, that's a good thing. It's a good thing to open yourself up." she said softly.

Brennan shook her head, "I'm not so sure of that."

Angela felt sorry for Brennan. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Angela asked, "What else did Sweets say? You never finished."

"Uh...he said that after Booth _'died'_, I began to rebuild the walls again."

Angela winced at the bitterness in Brennan's voice when she said the word 'died'. She thought for a moment before responding. "I hate to be brutally honest here, but that's kinda what you did, Bren."

"I know." Brennan nodded and spoke softly, "I know"

"So, basically, we just agreed on the fact that Booth is very, very important to you. He's one of the only people who knows you well, who you can completely trust and open up to. And losing him was devastating to you." Angela summed up.

Something about that statement made Brennan snap. She stood up and started pacing around her office. "It's true!" she said loudly. "It's true, OK? Everything you said, everything Sweets said. It's all true. You were both right. You happy now?!" her voice had escalated in volume as she spoke and it continued to rise as she continued speaking. "It shouldn't matter so much! I shouldn't depend on him so much! I-I'm an independent person, Ange! I-I shouldn't need him like this!" By the end of this speech, she had tears streaming down her face.

"Oh, Sweetie." Angela said softly. She wanted to comfort her friend, give her a hug, but she also knew that Brennan wasn't done yet. And she knew better than to interrupt a ranting Temperance Brennan.

Brennan shook her head and paced at a faster speed. If the situation wasn't so serious, Angela would have made a joke about wearing out the floor and falling through. But now wasn't the time.

"I let him in way too far." Brennan stated weakly. "I let him in way too far. I shouldn't have let him tear down my wall! That was a huge mistake. I was just fine without him. I should have _never _let him get this close. I screwed up! I screwed up!"

She paused to take a breath, and Angela took advantage of the opportunity. "But he _is_this close now, Sweetie, and no matter how hard you try, you can't jsut forget about him now. Shutting him out won't work. Personally, I believe that you made the best decision of your life when you decided to let him in."

Brennan shook her head. "No, I didn't! He was not supposed to become this important! _No one_ should be this important! I put the walls there for a reason! They were there for a reason! And then he just- he just _waltzes_ into my life and he thinks that he can just- he just-just..." She couldn't seem to finish the sentence. She groaned in frustration and resumed her pacing. Then, she stopped and faced Angela, not even attempting to hide her tears.

"I just-I just can't lose him again, Ange! It hurts too much! I-I can't live without him! I c-can't lose him!" Brennan revealed.

Angela jumped from the couch and ran towards Brennan, wrapping her in a huge hug. Brennan broke down and sobbed in her friend's arms.

* * *

"You told her _what_?!" Booth asked incredulously.

Sweets cleared his throat, "I...um, I told her that I believe that the two of you are in love with each other."

Booth sat down and put his head in his hands. "But, _why_ would you tell her that?"

Sweets could barely hide his grin. "Because it is true, Agent Booth."

Booth stood up again and began pacing. "No, no it's not, Sweets. It's not true!" he said in exasperation. "I know that in your pre-adolescent mind, you like to play match maker. I get that, it's common among twelve year olds. But saying that to _Bones_, that was just incredibly _stupid_! How could you say that to her? You know what she's gonna do now? She's gonna ignore me! She's gonna shut me out for a long, long time! She's gonna act awkward around me. She's gonna refuse to work cases with me anymore! I hope you know, that you could have just ruined out partnership, Sweets!"

Sweets waited for a few minutes before gathering up the courage to ask, "And how does that make you feel?"

Booth's face turned red. He shook his head and rolled his eyes before walking out of the room and slamming the door hard behind him.

Sweets blinked a few times. "I'm guessing that means that you feel angry." he said to himself.

* * *

Angela held Brennan in a tight hug for what felt like hours, before she slowly pulled away and led Brennan to the couch. Brennan sat down and dried her eyes with her sleeves. Angela watched her closely, debating on whether to ask another question or not. She finally decided on asking.

"That's not all that Sweets said, is it?" Angela asked, "He had to have said something else, for it to have such a huge effect on you."

Brennan nodded slowly. "He also...uh...he also said that he thinks I'm in love with Booth." she admitted.

"And what do you think?" Angela asked eagerly, trying to control herself.

Brennan was silent for a while, "I...I..I think that I-" She was interrupted when Zack entered the room.

"Dr. Brennan, I have the test results you were waiting for." he announced.

"Thank you, Zack." Brennan said as she stood up and followed him out of the room.

Angela through her hands in the air out of frustration, "Why did you have to interrupt _now_?" she asked, "Why, Zack? Why?!"

* * *

**Next Up: Angela tries to get Brennan to finish her statement**

**And...Booth over hears something that he wasn't supposed to hear...**


	8. We Need To Talk

**A/N: Here it is, chapter eight! This one is for Ellie, who stayed up with me to listen to my rants, gave me ideas, and pushed me to keep going!**

* * *

Booth rubbed his hand through his hair as he entered the Jeffersonian the next day. Maybe, if he just pretended not to know, it would make it easier. He was so angry at Sweets right now. He was glad that he left when he did. Especially when he would have liked to punch the smirk right off the punk's face. He shook his head to clear out his thoughts as he approached the platform. He watched in amusement as Brennan walked quickly from machine to machine, trying to escape Angela. Angela was talking with incredible speed as she followed closely at Brennan's heels. Neither seemed to notice the FBI agent, so he just stood there, trying to hear what Angela was saying.

Brennan suddenly stopped walking, and Booth was sure that she had seen him and was going to lecture him now. Instead, she turned to face Angela, still completely oblivious of Booth's presence. She threw her hands in the air. "Nothing! I wasn't going to say anything important! In fact, I don't even remember what I was going to say, so just...forget about it." she said stubbornly. She turned back to a microscope.

Angela snorted sarcastically. "Oh, no you don't. You don't get off that easily, Sweetie. You were crying! Alright? _Cry-ing. _And you were telling me about the walls and finally being honest about how thinking Booth was dead affected you."

Booth began to become slightly uncomfortable, but still watched silently.

"Ange." Brennan muttered without taking her eyes from the microscope, "We've had this discussion."

"No," Angela corrected, "We were _having_ this discussion when Zack walked in."

"I have nothing else to say." Brennan said firmly as she stood up and walked toward the examination table to replace the bone she had been looking at.

"_Please_!" Angela begged, "Right before Zack came in, you were about to say that you-" She was interrupted by subtle elbow in the ribs from Brennan. She looked up and saw why.

"B-Booth." Brennan stuttered as she immediately looked down and crossed her arms defensively in front of her chest.

"B-Bones." Booth mimicked with a smile, "How are you this wonderful morning? Feeling more chatty then yesterday?"

"No, I am not _'chatty'_." Brennan protested, "The word chatty is an adjective which means that I am inclined to chat, or that I am friendly and talkative. Do I look like I am inclined to talk to you at the moment? Do I look _friendly_ or _talkative _to you?"

Booth chose to ignore her and turn to Angela, "Did she go home last night to sleep?"

Angela shrugged, "She won't talk to me today. Why?"

"Because sometimes when she works all night and doesn't get any sleep, she gets all cranky and snappy like this." He explained.

Angela rolled her eyes, "Well I knew _that_. That's not even why she's mad anyways."

Booth frowned, "She's still upset about what Sweets said?" he asked.

"She told you what Sweets said?!" Angela asked incredulously.

"No," Booth said a little too quickly, then decided to explain. "She just seemed upset after she left Sweets' office."

Angela nodded sadly. She opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Brennan clearing her throat loudly. Angela and Booth quickly turned their heads to face her.

"Just wanted to remind you two that _she_ is right here! Feel free to continue, though, because _she _is now leaving!" Brennan said angrily before storming towards her office.

Booth winced as he watched her leave. "She'll be a joy to work with today." he commented sarcastically.

Angela smiled sympathetically.

* * *

Booth rolled his eyes as he buckled his seatbelt. He turned toward his very angry looking partner. "All I'm saying is that I still find it funny that you can look at decomposed corpses all of the time, and yet you are terrified of snakes." he defended himself. He grinned as he remembered the way she had screamed and grabbed his arm when she saw the snakes at the crime scene.

"I could say the same to you," Brennan interrupted Booth's thoughts, "You face murderers all of the time, yet you are afraid of clowns. _Clowns_," she repeated with a smirk, "Something intended to be a source of entertainment."

"Hey, you would be terrified of clowns too, if you had seen _It_. I mean, he just pops out of no where and..." Booth trailed off as he shuttered involuntarily.

"I don't know what that means." Brennan said with a blank face.

"Of course you don't, Bones." Booth said as he shook his head, "The point is that, I have an excuse for my fear of clowns. What's your excuse? They weren't even poisonous snakes. Doesn't it seem a bit irrational to be afraid of them? Hmm?".

Brennan rolled her eyes and launched into a "squint speech" as Booth would call it. "_All_fears are irrational, Booth, because fear is an emotion. And emotions aren't rational. Fear is a feeling of agitation and anxiety caused by the presence or imminence of danger."

"An idiot once told me that fears are caused by our past experiences and our thoughts of what could happen in the future." Booth replied dramatically.

Brennan laughed, "Who told you that?" she asked in amusement.

Booth didn't respond.

"Booth?" Brennan repeated, "Who told you that?" she was more curious now.

"Um...doesn't matter." he replied.

Brennan's smile faded. "Who told you that?" she demanded to know.

Booth looked into her eyes for a moment before answering "Sweets."

Brennan immediately turned away from him to look out the window.

Booth sighed. "Bones?" he asked cautiously.

She remained silent.

"Bones, please say something." Booth asked her.

"I don't have anything to say" Brennan mumbled to the window.

"What, no squint speak about psychology being a soft science?" Booth teased.

Brennan shook her head.

Booth sighed again, realizing that this issue needed to be addressed. "We need to talk, Bones." he said seriously.

Brennan finally turned to face him. "About what?" she asked.

"About what Sweets said." Booth answered as he parked the vehicle near the Jeffersonian.

"I think that it's best that you don't know what he said." Brennan answered in a distant voice.

"Bones," Booth said gently, "I...already know. He told me."

"He what?!" Brennan said in shock. She reached to undo her seat belt, but Booth stopped her by grabbing her hand.

"We need to talk." he repeated softly.

"No. We. Don't!" Brennan said through gritted teeth. She broke free and stepped out of the car, leaving Booth behind with an injured wrist.

* * *

**Up Next: Brennan confronts Sweets! And Booth!**


	9. Deja Vu

**A/N: I present all of you lovely readers with chapter nine. I think that I will wrap things up with chapter ten. So this is probably the second to last chapter.**

"Oh, no." Angela muttered. She knew something was wrong with her friend from the moment she saw Brennan enter the Jeffersonian.

"Ange!" Brennan called as she ran towards her friend.

"Hey! How's it going?" Angela greeted her warmly.

"I'm going to kill him!" Brennan responded.

Angela raised her eyebrows. "Kill who, Sweetie?"

"Sweets!" Brennan said in frustration, as if it should have been obvious who she was talking about.

"I know I'll regret asking this question later, because you'll probably snap my head off, but _why_?" Angela asked.

"HetoldBooth!," Brennan said angrily, "HetoldBooth!"

"OK, you know what? Let's go sit down." Angela said softly. She took her friend's hand and led her down the hallway. When they reached Brennan's office, they sat down on her couch like they had the day before.

"Take three deep breaths." Angela instructed in a soothing voice.

Brennan obeyed, then looked up at Angela expectantly.

"Now, tell me what happened." Angela said.

"He told Booth!" Brennan spoke a little bit louder than she had intended to, and decided to lower her voice before continuing. "I cannot _believe_ he told Booth!"

"Wow," Angela whispered. She was finding it hard to believe as well.

"I'm going to talk to him." Brennan said as she stood up to leave.

"Talk to who?" Angela asked, but Brennan had already left the room. "Bren! Wait!" Angela called after her, "Talk to who?!"

* * *

Dr. Sweets had a strong sense of deja vu as Dr. Temperance Brennan slammed open his door and began screaming. At least he wasn't in the middle of a session this time.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Brennan. You were speaking too fast for me to actually understand what you were saying. Would you mind repeating yourself?" he asked calmly.

"_You_!" Brennan yelled as she poked the young psychologist in the chest, "You are an _arse_!"

Sweets tried to hold back a laugh, "Using British slang now, are we? I'm guessing that you learned word from Agent Booth."

Brennan didn't try to control her anger, like Booth had. Without so much as a second thought, she proceeded to grab Sweets by the collar and hold him against the wall.

"Why did you tell Booth?!" Brennan demanded.

Sweets winced. She was holding his collar way tighter than Booth had. "Because he was pinning me to the wall in a way that is very similar to what you are doing right now!" Sweets choked out.

Brennan let him down and smirked, "He pinned you up against the wall?"

Sweets nodded nervously. "After screaming at me and issuing a few threats, yes."

Brennan's smirk faded as she realized something. "So, he _made_ you tell him?"

"No one can make me do anything, Dr. Brennan. I simply felt that it was in my best interest to tell him."

Brennan glared at him.

"OK, OK, he bullied me into it!" Sweets said in a slightly whiny voice.

"I cannot believe him! Did he even have a good reason why?!" Brennan asked angrily.

"I really didn't listen too closely to his specific words." Sweets said, "I was more concerned about being held against a wall, and I was slightly nervous about the fact that he was really mad and he happened to be carrying a gun."

"_He_ was mad? What reason would _he_ have to be mad?" Brennan asked in a slightly calmer voice.

"He actually gave me a rather impressive rant about why he was mad." Sweets said with a grin. "The gist was that what I said upset you, and that when you were upset, it made him upset."

"He did not say that." Brennan said in disbelief.

"Yes, Dr. Brennan, he most certainly did." Sweets said with confidence.

Without another word, Brennan left the office.

* * *

Brennan stood knocking on Booth's door. She had assumed that he was there, but she was starting to have doubts now. She knew that there was some kind of phrase Booth used whenever she said the word 'assume', but she was too preoccupied to remember it. She stopped knocking as a thought crossed her mind: Why was she even knocking?. She rolled her eyes at herself as she found the key under the rock. He hadn't bothered to move it, even after she had already found it once before. Typical Booth. He was so predictable. She smiled as she picked up the key and used it to unlock the door. She then walked into the apartment. She didn't see Booth anywhere.

Brennan made her was towards the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water. "Booth?" she called as she looked more carefully. No response. She sighed in frustration. She smirked as she thought of the one place she hadn't checked. Taking a deep breath, Dr. Temperance Brennan began tip toeing towards the bathroom.

Brennan thought that the bathroom would be empty. After all, she had called Booth's name and he hadn't responded. So, she confidently pushed the door open and calmly took another gulp of water before Booth's scream of "Bones!" made her realize that he was in the bathtub.

Booth was wearing the beer hat again, although he was reading a different _graphic novel _this time. His voice had startled Brennan and she spit out her water as she jumped in the air. Her mouthful of water sprayed with remarkable force and landed in the bathtub. Booth would have found this all very amusing if he wasn't the one experiencing it.

"What is the matter with you, Bones?!" Booth screamed, "Can't you just subscribe to _Playgirl_ like everyone else?!"

Brennan forced herself to stop staring at her naked partner as she mumbled, "I don't know what that means."

"Do you ever?" Booth asked in frustration.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Brennan asked as she became frustrated too.

"Nothing, Bones." Booth grumbled as he stood up and grabbed a towel. "Is there a reason that you broke into my apartment? _Again_." He asked as he wrapped the towel around his waist.

Brennan couldn't answer him right away. She was finding it hard to breathe when she noticed how close he was standing to her. "Uh-huh. Yeah, um..." she struggled to regain her focus.

Booth chuckled at Brennan's obvious discomfort. He waved his hand in front of her face. "Earth to Bones. Are you there?" he teased. She opened her mouth to respond, but he covered her mouth with his hand. "And I know that you 'don't know what that means'. Have you remembered why you came here yet?" Brennan nodded and Booth removed his hand.

"I came because I'm ready to talk now." Brennan said in a surprisingly matter-of-fact voice.

Booth laughed. "Alright then. How about I put some clothes on, and then we can go get some drinks."

Brennan frowned, "You want me to be drunk before we talk?"

Booth sighed, "It was just a suggestion, Bones."

Brennan shrugged, "OK, we can go for drinks."

Booth rolled his eyes, "Thanks for your permission." he replied sarcastically as he left the room.

"You're welcome!" Brennan called after him.

* * *

**Up Next: The Final Chapter!!**


	10. Hammers and Screws

**A/N: Here it is, people. The last chapter of my first Bones story. (Sniffs loudly) I just hope that it is good enough for you guys. I had trouble writing it, basically just because I knew it was the end. I dedicate this final chapter to the three people who have helped me out the most with this story. Ash, Sophie, and Ellie. Ellie, Sophie, and Ash. Sophie, Ellie, and Ash. There- now you each got a turn to be named first! :) Anyway, on with the story! **

* * *

Brennan thanked the bar tender and took a huge gulp of beer. Booth studied her for a moment before speaking.

"Bones," he said in a low voice that made Brennan's spine tingle. _No,_ she corrected herself,_ That sensation was caused by the amount of alcohol I've had!_

"That's your third beer." Booth pointed towards the beverage in Brennan's hands.

"I have an extremely high intelligence quotient, Booth." the forensic anthropologist reminded him, "I think that I can keep track of how many beers I've had!"

Booth raised his arms in front of himself as a sign of surrender. "OK, OK, you're not a happy drunk, I get it."

Brennan snorted sarcastically. "I am _not_ drunk." she argued. "I've only had three beers! I'm _tipsy_ at the most."

Booth stared at her, then his face broke into a goofy grin. "Tipsy? _Tipsy_?! Did I just hear Dr. Temperance Brennan, world renowned forensic anthropologist and author use the word _tipsy_?" he teased.

Brennan looked into Booth's face, and couldn't help but offer her own smile in return. "Angela." she explained.

Booth nodded. "Of course."

They stared into each other's eyes longer than was necessary, and Brennan recognized this as one of her and Booth's "moments". Or, at least that's what Angela called them.

"Wanna talk about it?" Booth asked, his eyes never leaving hers.

Brennan broke the eye contact and changed her focus to the floor. "No" she mumbled.

"Ok." Booth agreed as he finished off his beer. Brennan kept her eyes on the floor for about five full minutes. She was unaware of the fact that Booth was staring at her the entire time. When he felt that the silence had lasted long enough, Booth reached out his hand and gently placed it under Brennan's chin. He slowly tipped her head up with his fingers. She looked at him with curious and questioning eyes.

"You wanna talk about it?" Booth repeated as he pulled his hand away.

As cliche as it sounded, Brennan missed the contact. "Yeah," she said in a voice just above a whisper, "Let's talk about it."

Booth nodded. "Um...well, Sweets said some things to you that made you upset. And I don't like to see you upset. So, I went to Sweets and got him to tell me what he told you."

Brennan looked anywhere but at Booth when she spoke. "And what did he tell you?"

Booth cleared his throat uncomfortably and ran his hand through his hair. "You know, the same thing he told you."

Brennan rolled her eyes, "How can you be sure that he didn't tell us two completely different things?"

Booth sighed. "He told me that he told you that he thinks that we're in love."

Brennan laughed. "Well, that's not at all confusing."

Booth laughed along for a moment before asking, "What'd he tell _you_?"

Brennan smiled. "Basically the same thing. Only he added psychological babble about the walls that I put up so that people can't get too close, and how you broke through them."

"Oh" was all Booth could say at the moment. There was only a brief pause before he asked, "What do you want to do about this?"

"Honestly?" Brennan began, "I want to get really drunk and just forget about it."

Booth laughed in agreement, "Sounds like a plan, Bones." Then, he grew serious again, "What do you _really_ want to do about it?"

Brennan sighed. "I don't know. I just...I just need time to process this and think about it."

Booth nodded. "I think that that's a really good idea."

There was an awkward silence for a few moments, before Brennan spoke up.

"Hey, Booth?" she asked.

"Hmm?" he responded, while still looking at the ground.

"Are we solid?" Brennan asked.

Booth looked up when he recognized the question. He didn't understand why she was asking it. "Huh?"

"We're still the center, right?" Brennan asked with a hint of panic in her voice.

He looked her in the eyes. "Yeah, Bones." he said softly, "We're still the center."

"And-And we're still holding?" Brennan pressed.

"Always, Bones." Booth whispered.

Both of them leaned forward, and before they could think about what was happening, they were kissing.

Brennan pulled back some, in order to get air. When her breathing steadied again, she spoke in a whisper. "What about the line?"

"Lines are made to be crossed." Booth replied with his charm smile.

"That's what Angela said." Brennan replied before leaning in to kiss Booth again.

* * *

"That's it." Booth said as he took away Brennan's drink later that night. "What is this, your tenth beer? I am cutting off your alcohol intake right now." he said firmly.

"Give it back!" Brennan whined loudly as she lunged towards Booth. Booth held the drink in the air above his head and waved it tauntingly. Brennan jumped up and down trying to get her beer back, but Booth was faster.

"No, no, no, Bones." He said as he finished the drink himself, "Off. Limits."

Brennan laughed loudly, causing people to turn their heads in her direction. "Please, Booth!" she begged desperately, "Please?!"

Booth shook his head and chuckled, "Bones, you are so drunk right now." he said with a smile.

Brennan giggled, "I'm so gonna get screwed tonight!" she announced proudly (and rather loudly).

Booth choked on his drink. "Excuse me?!" he asked incredulously.

"Isn't that the term people like you use for getting drunk?" Brennan asked in honest confusion.

Booth rolled his eyes, "Hammered, Bones. The term is _hammered_. Now, don't ever say that again."

"Don't say what?" Brennan asked childishly, "That I'm gonna get screwed?"

"Bones!" Booth scolded.

"Why can't I say it?" Brennan asked. "Does it have some type of hidden sexual innuendo?"

Booth sighed loudly. "You know what? Just forget it!" He stood up and helped her to stand as well. "Let's just get you home."

"Fine!" Brennan pouted.

Booth laughed as he put his hand on the small of her back and guided her out of the bar.

* * *

**The End! I want to thank everyone who has supported this story! It means a lot to me that you took the time to read my story! I have lots of other ideas for different Bones stories, and I plan on writing and posting them soon, so keep your eye out for them! Anyway, I had a lot of fun with this story and I hope that you guys did too!**


End file.
